Parent Support and Involvement
(ECI 541: Content Area Reading)
My title is that of a teacher. However, when it comes to my students, their parents are their #1 teacher! A huge part of my job as a teacher of the deaf is to educate parents about what it takes to help their child with hearing loss be successful! I educate, inform, and empower parents. Not only do I teach children, but I teach an entirely different age group--adults! It can certainly be frightening, but I am learning how to build relationships with my students' parents and caregivers. One way in which I strive for parent support and involvement is through technology. Taking Content Area Reading opened my eyes up to a new way of thinking. When given the task of building a WebQuest that allows for students to explore, self-discover, and learn, I thought differently. Most of my students are too young to independently navigate the intricacies of a WebQuest and one of my personal needs has always been how to effectively communicate with parents to improve student outcomes. Therefore, why not let the parents do a bit of exploring??
The WebQuest which you will explore has been designed with intentional respect to language and literacy development for deaf children. It shifts the focus from how we instruct our deaf students in language learning to how and why parents support language and literacy development. This product allowed me to stretch my thinking from research-based strategies and curriculum to a reflective process of the importance and fundamentals of language development for all students with hearing loss. Below, you will find a position research paper discussing family literacy and reading success.
The WebQuest which you will explore has been designed with intentional respect to language and literacy development for deaf children. It shifts the focus from how we instruct our deaf students in language learning to how and why parents support language and literacy development. This product allowed me to stretch my thinking from research-based strategies and curriculum to a reflective process of the importance and fundamentals of language development for all students with hearing loss. Below, you will find a position research paper discussing family literacy and reading success.
Scaffolded Reading Experience: QAR
The lesson found bellow was completed in this course as a means to investigate the Scaffolded Reading Experience (SRE). The SRE is a series of strategies used before reading, during reading, and after reading to assist students. This lesson was taught to an 8th grade student with hearing loss who relies primarily on sign language to communicate. A number of strategies were used to support his interactions with the text.
The following strategies were used:
Before reading--Previewing vocabulary words and central themes
During reading--Read aloud and comprehension checks & ASL storytelling comparison
After reading--Answer questions using QAR (Think & Search, Right There, On my Own, and Author and Me)
An evaluation of the lesson is provided within the document.
The following strategies were used:
Before reading--Previewing vocabulary words and central themes
During reading--Read aloud and comprehension checks & ASL storytelling comparison
After reading--Answer questions using QAR (Think & Search, Right There, On my Own, and Author and Me)
An evaluation of the lesson is provided within the document.
Question: What are ways to support deaf and hard of hearing students in developing their literacy and language?
Answer: Parent involvement is a critical element in enhancing deaf and hard of hearing students' literacy and language skills. Self-exploration through a WebQuest is just one way to facilitate self-awareness within parents to later transfer to their children--our students!
Answer: Parent involvement is a critical element in enhancing deaf and hard of hearing students' literacy and language skills. Self-exploration through a WebQuest is just one way to facilitate self-awareness within parents to later transfer to their children--our students!